Trolley-finder for electrical railroads.



No. 67I,438. Patented Apr. 9, I90l.

P. GOLDSMITH. TROLLEY FINDER FOR ELEG'I'RICAL BAILBOADS.

(Application filed. Aug. 16, 1900.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES FFTGE.

PATENT PAUL GOLDSMITH, OF TROY, NEW YORK.

SPECIFICATION formingpart Of Letters Patent NO. 671,438, dated April 9, 1901.

Application filed August 16, 1900. Serial No. 27,000. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PAUL GOLDSMITH, of the city of Troy, county of Rensselaer, and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Trolley-Finders for Electrical Railroads, of which the following is a specification.

Myinvention relates toimprovements upon trolley-finders for electrical railroads, it being the object and purpose of my invention 'to have the trolley when from off the circuitwire rest upon an insulated part, whereby the circuit through the current-wire will be broken and the car stopped when the wire is thus placed. I have shown this improvement as applied to that device of this class which is shown and described in Letters Patent No. 622,804, granted to me October 5, 18.97, although it may be applied to other forms of devices belonging to the same class.

Accompanying this specification to form a part of it there is a plate of drawings con-' -taining three figures illustrating the application of my invention with the same designa tion of parts by letter reference used in all of them.

Of the illustrations, Figure 1 is a top view of the trolley-finder with the forked arms shown as extended laterally and rearwardly. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the mechanism with the forked arms of the trolley-finder turned down rearwardly. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of one of the forked arms of the trolley-finder, the trolley-wheel, and the forked end of the pole, in which is placed the axle or shaft on which the trolley-wheel is mounted to turn, showing also a part of the frame by which the trolley-finder arms are operated.

The several parts of the apparatus thus illustrated are designated by letter reference,

and the function of the parts is described as follows:

The letter P designates the trolley-pole, of which only a part is shown, and which when illustrated in full is shown as made to extend downwardly to pivotally connect with the top of the car by mechanism not shown herein. This pole P is provided with a forked head H, having bifurcated sides a a, which curve to meet at the outer end of the pole, to be thereat provided with a passage for the axle or shaft S of the trolley-wheel W, on which axle the latter is mounted to turn. This shaft or axle S where passing through the trolley-wheel at each side of the latter is made to extend beyond the sides of the trolleywheel and also beyond the forks of the pole and to have journaled thereon at each end of the axle one of the trolley-finder arms A. These arms A A are made to approach each other at their inner ends in a V form, and they are each provided with an ofiset projection 0, on the lower or inner end of which they connect with the trolley-wheel axle.

The letters h and 71 designate guide-arms, of which there are two at each outer side of each of the finder-arms A, and which guidearms are outwardly projected therefrom, so as to straddle and arch over the journaled connection which the trolleyfinder arm on which these guide-arms are located makes with the trolley-wheel axle. These guidearms of each of the finder-arms as extended outwardly therefrom curve to ward each other to meet and to have projected therefrom a journal for the mounting thereon of wheel e0 made of porcelain or other insulating material and provided with a peripheral groove g. The function of the guide-arms h and h as arranged at each side of the trolleyfinder arms A is to-direct the diverted or out-of-place circuit-Wire into that one of the grooves g to which the misplaced wire is next adjacent and to be there retained until the trolley-finder proper is operated to restore the wire to the groove G of thetrolley-wheel W. While I prefer to use the grooved wheel W as made from porcelain or other insulating material, if desired.a simple groove may be formed in insulating material and arranged upon the outer end of h of the united guide-arms and used in place of the wheel. In performing this function the guide-bar h operates to guide the diverted wire into that one of the grooves g which is next adjacent and when the trolley-finder is in its ordinary position back of the trolley-wheel, and the guide-arm 72 operates to guide the diverted wire into that one of the grooves g which is next adjacent thereto when the trolley-finder proper has been reversed in position on its journaled connection by having its arm or arms A come in contact with a cross-brace wire when backing the car upon a curve in the track. 7

The letter F designates a frame, the parallel sides of which, as indicated at f 2 f have their upper ends each journaled at O in an offset projection that is laterally extended from each of the arms A in a parallel direction,

said frame side parts being journaled at their ends after having been passed between and beyond the guide-arms.

The letter E designates an ear that is formed upon the bottom of the cross-bar f of the frame F. This ear is made for the attachment of a trolley-cord, (not shown,) by which the trolley-finder proper can be operated on its journaled connection with the axle or shaft S.

Thus made and arranged to be operated when the circuitwire from any cause becomes shifted from out the groove of the trolley-wheel it will fall upon one side or the other of the latter and in its descent will be guided by one of the guide bars into the; groove g of the wheel where next adjacent and the car will stop. When the trolley-cord is pulled upon by the conductor, it causes the trolley-finder to rise with that one of its arms A underrunning the misplaced wire whichis nearest to it and by its upward movement returning it to the trolley-wheeL groove to again put on the power, the frame; F acting to operate the trolley-finder arms A by means of the journaled connection which each of these frame sides f makes withone of the trolley-finder armsA at C and the journaled connection which the trolley-finder, arms A each make with the trolley-wheeli axle or shaft S. V

In my older patent'before named the headed bars which were projected from the trolleyfinder sides, against which the displaced wire would lodge, are not connected at their outer ends, as herein shown and described,

this arched connection being made toadapt them to have on theirouter end the insulated wheel n2 By my improved construction the,

lower ends are each provided with an offset part, and therein journaled upon the trolleywheel axle where extending beyond the latter, each of said finder-arms having on the outer face where offset two guide-arms that are arched to meet at the ends and to pass ,over the journal connection between the finder-arms and axle, and where united provided with an insulated and grooved wheel; and a frame having each of its sides at its upper end passed between the guide-arms of m ss the outerside of each of the finder-arms and thereat journaled onto the latter; whereby when a circuit-wire leaves the trolley it will by the guide-arm with which it comes in contact be guided into the groove of the insulated wheel, and thus stop the car, putting the wire in a position to be operated upon by the trolley-finder as actuated by the frame substantially as, and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a trolley-finder the combination with two outwardly-flaring side arms which at their inner ends approach each other in close proximity to the trolley-wheel at its top, each having an offset projection at its inner end and at its outer end of which latter each of these side arms is journaled to the trolley-wheel axle where extending beyond the trolleywheel; two guide-arms projected outwardly and laterally from each of the offset projections of each of the finder arms, there being one of the latter at each side of the journaled connection with the trolley-wheel axle, with each of the guide-arms of each pair' made to curve toward the other to unite at their outer ends and be thereat provided with an axle for an insulated and grooved wheel; and a frame having each of its sides at itsupper end passed between the guide-arms thereat to be pivoted to the adjacent finder-arm at its lower end, whereby said frame sides and saidguide-arms are adapted to interlock and to unlock Whenthe position of the finderarms is reversed, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a trolley-finder the combination with two outwardly-flaring arms which at their lower ends are each i provided with an olfset part and therein journaled upon the trolleywheel axle where extending beyond the latter, each of said finder-arms having on the outer face of its offset part two guide-arms that are arched to meet at'their outer ends and topass over thejournal connection between the finder and axle, and Where united provided with an insulated and grooved wheel; and a frame having each of its sides at its upper. end passed between the guide-arms on the outside of each of the finder-arms, and thereat journaled onto the latter; whereby when a circuit current-wire leaves the trolley it will by the guide-arm with which it comes in contact be guided into the groove of the insulated wheel, and thus stop the car,and where by, said frame sides and guide arms are adapted to interlock and unlock when reversed, substantially as shown and described.

Signed at the city of Troy, New York, this 27th day of July, 1900, and in the presence of the two witnesses whose names are hereto written.

PAUL GOLDSMITH. 

